As the shooting restrictions in Lefthand Canyon were a bit nebulous in my mind, I called the Boulder Ranger District yesterday to find out exactly what the situation is regarding target shooting in the area.

I was told the "Slot Canyon" -- aka the old Lefthand Canyon shooting area -- is and will remain closed as marked. The ranger I spoke with yesterday also told me the Forest outside the closure area is open to shooting, provided the standard USFS regulations and policies are followed.

It may sound like a "duh" statement, given the generally open status of NF lands to target shooting, but I felt it was worth the phone call to get clarification. I will be heading up there one of these days soon to scout out a new shooting location in the canyon (as I live fairly close and don't feel like driving out to the Grasslands). Hopefully we can find a safe, clean area to shoot in without venturing too far.

I never went shooting in the Slot Canyon area when it was open. Times we drove past it to 4-wheel into the area turned me off too much; "homeys" up practicing their sideways firearms proficiency, rednecks blasting appliances into the Maytag afterlife, and more trash than a reasonable shooter could ever hope to be OK with kept us out and going up to Allenspark.